Senior vice-president Paul Ludlow (pictured) said the line was now better equipped to support the trade following the changes, which has seen the sales team expand by 30% to 46 employees.

The changes, which P&O and Cunard described at the time as a “major restructuring”, were announced in March but have only recently been realised. The new branch comprises head office account management and business development resource, dedicated field sales support for national and retail partners, and sales operations, all of which are dedicated to agency sales.

Last month, Carnival UK announced that the new team – which looks after both lines – was being renamed the Cunard and P&O Cruises Partnership Team.

Ludlow said the new title had encouraged agents that the lines were serious about their commitment to the trade.

“It’s been a real step change. We’ve had a lot of agents call up and say ‘tell us about this partnership approach’.”

Ludlow admitted that the line had faced criticism for its previous relationship with the trade, but insisted agents were now viewing P&O in a new light. “Some agents called and said we weren’t as supportive in the past and now they’ve gone away convinced [that we are].

“We’re better equipped now to deal with those agents that are new to the line. The conversation will be more supportive than it was before. We have to convince the trade how serious we are, and we will keep going with that.

“It’s about providing answers, being available on the phone, visiting them, sending communications that are digestible, whether it’s emails or social media,” he said.

“We’re delivering on our promise of being available when they need us. We want to make sure our agent partners are knowledgeable about the questions they are asked by customers. We won’t be successful without our agents – we are incredibly ambitious about the future, and we need travel agents to help with this.”

Ludlow’s expanded role was announced earlier this month, with the line’s onboard hotel, brand and marketing functions all brought together. This means Ludlow is now also responsible for P&O’s 14,000 crew members.

He said the additional responsibilities would see him spending more time on the ships.

“I need to be onboard to make sure I know about everything that happens at sea. It means we can link up the holiday experience from beginning to end,” he added.